George Falafel is an ultra flavourful Middle Eastern dish of spiced mashed chickpeas formed into balls or fritters and deep-fried, usually eaten with or in pitta bread. We don’t really like to deep-fry our food but we love falafel, so we thought about baking it in the oven instead. Our Herb-Packed Baked Falafel & Dressings are going to surprise you! So delicious that you won’t want to have deep-fried falafel ever again! 🙂
Depending if you use pistachios or walnuts, the colour of the falafel will radically change from beautiful green to boring brown! But flavour-wise, both ways deliver a super delicious product!
This Herb-Packed Baked Falafel & Dressings’s recipe can also be found UPDATED & IMPROVED in our new cookbook & e-book “ALL PLANTS: The Food You Love, The Vegan Way”, in chapter 2 “FULFILLING MEALS”, the recipe is called “HERB-PACKED PISTACHIO FALAFEL”. In this chapter, you can find all of these recipes:
- CAESAR SALAD
- GREEK SALAD
- PURPLE SALAD
- YELLOW PEA SOUP
- FOUL MUDAMMAS
- TRES GAZPACHOS
- GREEN MONSTER SOUP
- ONE-POT TOMATO SOUP
- EASY CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP
- CREAMY MUSHROOM PASTA
- MAC&CHEEZE
- WHEELS&CHEEZE
- GARLIC FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
- CARBONARA
- QUICK SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA
- PASTA WITH CHANTERELLES
- RAVIOLI AL FORMAGGIO
- PESTO LUMACONI
- THE BEST PEPPERONI PIZZA THE PAELLA
- SPANISH OMELETTE W/ A TWIST
- GRANDMA’S STEW
- FYSH&CHIPS
- NO-PIGS IN A BLANKET
- SPICY BUFFALO CHICKUN TENDERS
- SPICY BBQ CAULIFLOWER WINGS
- NO-MEATLOAF
- HERB-PACKED PISTACHIO FALAFEL
- BAKED SATAY TEMPEH SKEWERS
- DAL GARAM MASALA
- SHIITAKE STEAMED BUNS
- NOODLE SOUP
- MERMAID SUSHI
We also have an entire chapter named “Dairy is Scary” dedicated to vegan dairy substitutes, from homemade coffee creamers to 3 kinds of homemade yoghurts, homemade tofu, 4 types of cultured vegan cheese, and 5 easy and quick varieties of vegan cheese including feta, cheddar, Buffalo Mozzarella, etc. If you’re a cheese lover, you will love our cookbook! Read more about it here.
In our opinion, adding nuts to the recipe makes the falafel be more filling, nutritious and yummy. Our best options are walnuts and pistachio nuts. We love them both equally.
We like eating falafel in Middle Easter flatbread more than in pitta bread, but you are welcome to use the bread that you prefer. We created an insanely fluffy homemade vegan flatbread recipe and you can also find it in our new cookbook & e-book “ALL PLANTS: The Food You Love, The Vegan Way” in chapter 4 “ON THE SIDE” on page 128! This chapter includes all of these recipes:
- AVOCADO TOAST
- BOILED EGG-HALVES
- VEGAN FRIED EGG
- SCRAMBLE TO DIE FOR
- CHEEZE STICKS
- SWEET POTATO CHIPS
- ROAST POTATOES W/ A CRUNCH
- PINK BURGER BUNS
- NO-DOG BUNS
- FLATBREAD
- SEEDED WHOLE-WHEAT CRACKERS
- SEEDED GLUTEN-FREE CRACKERS
- MAYO ORIGINAL & SPICY
- BÉARNAISE SAUCE
- HEALTHY BÉARNAISE SAUCE
- PINK HORSERADISH SAUCE
- BLUE CHEEZE SAUCE
- CAESAR SALAD DRESSING
- OIL-FREE RANCH DRESSING
- TARTAR SAUCE
- NUTTY PARMESAN
- AVOCADO PESTO
- WALNUT PESTO
- GOOEY MOZZARELLA SAUCE
- NUT-FREE MOZZARELLA SAUCE
- HEALTHY CHEEZE SAUCE
- NACHO CHEEZE SAUCE
If you cook this recipe, please make the three dressings and combine them all together. It will taste like a dream!
If you enjoyed this recipe for Baked Falafel & Dressings, check out our Middle Eastern Foul Mudammas. It’s exquisite and so so healthy. Basically the perfect dish!
Herb-Packed Baked Falafel & Dressings
Enjoy friends! If you make this recipe, please snap a photo and tag @veganvvocals and #veganvvocals on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Ingredients
FALAFEL INGREDIENTS
- 10 sprigs of fresh parsley
- 10 sprigs of fresh mint
- 200 g walnuts /shelled pistachio nuts
- 410 g boiled chickpeas
- 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp buckwheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
VEGAN TZATZIKI SAUCE
- 1 large cucumber, grated and drained
- 300 g unsweetened soy yoghurt
- 4 garlic cloves, roasted and crushed
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
LEMONY SESAME SEED DRESSING
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp almond milk
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
SPICY TOMATO SAUCE
- 4 tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 red chili, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Middle Eastern Flatbread (gluten-free version if eating gluten-free)
Instructions
FALAFEL INSTRUCTIONS
- In a food processor, place the herbs and process for 30 seconds.
- Add walnuts/pistachio nuts and pulse until well combined.
- Add the chickpeas, onion, garlic, olive oil, cumin, buckwheat flour and baking powder, and process until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Make 10-20 falafel balls and place them on a parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning the balls every 6 minutes to get an even golden colour.
- Once baked, let them cool on the parchment paper.
VEGAN TZATZIKI SAUCE INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Using a knife, cut a garlic head in half and place in a ramekin or similar. Then using a basting brush, spread 1 tsp of olive oil on it. Season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper.
- Place the ramekin on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Once baked, take 4 garlic cloves out of the head. Crush them and set aside.
- Coarsely grate the cucumber and drain it using a colander. Sprinkle over 1/2 tsp of salt and mix through. Place a plate on top of cucumber and allow cucumber to drain until water stops dripping.
- In a medium-size bowl, combine soy yoghurt, roasted and crushed garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint, salt, pepper and grated and drained cucumber. Mix thoroughly.
- Store in the refrigerator.
LEMONY SESAME SEED DRESSING INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium-size bowl, combine tahini, canola oil, lemon juice, almond milk and salt and using a spoon, stir thoroughly until smooth.Store in the refrigerator.
SPICY TOMATO SAUCE
- In a medium-size bowl, add the diced tomatoes, finely chopped chili, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper and, using a spoon, stir thoroughly until combined. Store in the refrigerator.
ASSEMBLING EVERYTHING
- Heat a Middle Eastern flatbread (find our vegan super fluffy homemade flatbread recipe in our cookbook & ebook) in the oven or a skillet. Add 3-4 falafel balls, a spoonful of lemony sesame seed dressing, vegan tzatziki, spicy tomato sauce and top with some fresh mint/parsley and chopped walnuts/pistachio nuts.
- We hope you enjoy it like we do!
Notes
- The nutrition facts only include the falafel balls, not the dressings!
- Store in the refrigerator, in an air-tight container, for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
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I made these for dinner tonight. Woah, yum. Seriously yum – we devoured them and I want to make more. They were so fluffy, flavorful and much tastier than most! Totally recommended. Also make their vegan tzatziki, so so good!
I made these falafel balls for dinner tonight. They were so so easy and quick, fluffy and very delicious!
This is an excellent falafel recipe. The sauces are also delicious!
I love all the recipes I have tried from your site!
I am so used to frying falafel so I was sceptical if this would hit the spot. Oh my. I’m never going back to deep-fried! These were so flavorful, fluffy, crunchy on the outside, and moist on the inside. Easy, quick, and delicious! I topped it with the sauces and we especially enjoyed the vegan tzatziki. Added some vegan feta as well. Will definitely make it again! Yum!